The 39th Roskilde Festival has bent the bow with a myriad of new initiatives and exciting humanitarian work. In the course of this spring, we will reveal everything from a food bazaar to audience parties and environment and climate focus. But not today. Today is all about the music – the music which is the heart and energetic pulse of Roskilde Festival.

We have 151 acts from practically all continents and genres ready for our seven stages – 74 of which are brand-new. And as always, you can expect a bulging cornucopia – from catchy tunes of the radio to foreign scents of the third world. Again this year, Roskilde Festival seeks to deliver a mirror of the endlessly rich array of music which exists around the world map today. Below, you will find a variation and range unlike that of any other western music festival.

First to one of today's big news. Nick Cave is no stranger at Roskilde Festival. Through the years, he has delivered numerous memorable concerts – one of last year’s highlights was with his new side project Grinderman. This musical affair has been a sort of rejuvenation cure for Cave who has delivered some of the most energetic rock concerts of his career since the birth of Grinderman – with his main project as well. We are proud to invite NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS back for the first time since 2002. As one of rock’s great performers, pens and personalities, Cave is an obvious choice for a figure who can deliver a solid show on Orange Stage.

WAY, WAY UP IN THE CLOUDS
The audience favourite COLDPLAY – whose latest big seller of an album walloped all other competitors – was this year’s first act on the poster. In the same manner, OASIS will deliver world-class British stadium rock. PET SHOP BOYS often spoil their audience with true hit parades at their festival concerts. NINE INCH NAILS and SLIPKNOT belong to the darker cloud formations up in the clouds over Orange Stage.

TRENTEMØLLER is these days preparing for a very special party. Thursday around midnight when the music dies down on the other stages, we will have a very special experience ready on Orange Stage. The Danish DJ's agency reports:

“After having toured the world with his live show, Trentemøller has spent his time on DJ shows, remix projects and, not least, recording the follow-up to The Last Resort. He has blankly refused all propositions of doing live shows – and there have been many. Right up until Roskilde Festival offered him the chance of doing something exceptional Thursday night on Orange Stage. It will be an intense two-hour set full of edits and bootlegs, live elements and guest appearances by a number of the musicians who have featured on The Last Resort and the coming Trentemøller album. The DJ set will be supported by a playful visual show which will transform Orange Stage into a huge party! This will be an absolute one-off – a unique set created for the occasion.

2009 will not only be the year in which LIL WAYNE and KANYE WEST – perhaps the biggest and most popular hip hop names right now – throw American stardust over Orange Stage. LA COKA NOSTRA is a sort of super group with members from, among others, House of Pain and Non Phixion, who will deliver a range of tough but accurate snapshots of the hard life on the streets.

Sweden and Norway’s greatest bigwigs report ready. PETTER – Sweden’s hip hop king – is once again ready for Roskilde Festival, and the Norwegian national heroes KLOVNER I KAMP are likewise ready for an exclusive reunion.

We have also representatives from south of the Danish borders. DEICHKIND create life-confirming parties with their crazy hip hop shows involving costumes and confetti canons in the style of The Flaming Lips.

From Denmark an amazing reunion with MALK DE KOIJN awaits. Fans of this group have waited out a five-year-long hiatus, and now they can finally experience these renewers of the Danish language cross vocal swords on stage again.

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to rocking audience favourites. EAGLES OF DEATH METAL delivers fantastic bawdy bully rock, perfect for slopping beer mugs, flashing sunglasses and moist tank tops in the summer sun. VOLBEAT is conquering both Europe and the US with their festive update on Elvis Presley, Social Distortion and Metallica. They last demonstrated their incredible showmanship at Roskilde Festival in 2007 when they managed to create a rock party even though the rain kept knocking down incessantly from above.

SKAMBANKT is devil-may-care rock’n’roll with socialist slogans that would make both Lemmy and Lenin nod in recognition. HÅKAN HELLSTRÖM is of a much more sensitive temper but is nonetheless famous for his explosive concerts that make both girls and boys dance to his Swedish-language rock poetry. Lorenzo Woodrose has long ago fired up Orange Stage with his loyal fellows in Baby Woodrose. In 2009, we can look forward to experiencing DRAGONTEARS – one of the many out-there side projects in acid rock.

…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD have just released an album which has been proclaimed a renaissance for American noise rock from many sides. We are therefore happy to welcome them on our poster after last time when they jumped in after a cancellation. MARNIE STERN plays violent and hyperactive indie rock which particularly excels in the wonderful girl’s tapping that is in league with the technically most brilliant from the heavy metal scene.

MEW are also ready for a trip to the festival site – backed by a brand-new album. The lads’ Roskilde concert will be one of the very few chances of experiencing the band this summer. In the more classic-sounding end of the rock spectrum, Sweden’s grand old man ULF LUNDELL is ready to manifest his special status among admirers of the Swedish language and good rock songs.

This year’s festival will not be lacking in music for those who enjoys letting go. SOCIAL DISTORTION would be the unconditional headliner at any punk festival. We are proud to have managed to get a hold of the Southern Californian legends who have influenced everyone from Green Day to Volbeat.

Like Mike Ness and co., THE BRONX are from California. Roskilde Festival has several times put in a bid on the band – this year, we finally get the opportunity to experience the Americans’ angry but healing mix of punk and hardcore. A similar approach to music is found with FUCKED UP. With them, it becomes clear how you can use the hectic energy of punk to escape everyday life for a while. For that reason, their shows are already famous and notorious. Lead singer Pink Eyes is an experience not to be missed.

In Denmark, we also have a firm grip on the black flags of punk. COLA FREAKS keeps the original spirit from ’77 alive and have toured extensively in the US with their Danish-language punk.

TRENTEMØLLER will deliver an unforgettable party on Orange Stage. He will, however, be challenged by a long line of other electronic artists.

The ever-present Diplo has before demonstrated that he can create terrific electronic parties at Roskilde Festival. We look forward to letting him show us again this year when the American music globe-trotter hands out samples from his new project MAJOR LAZER – a tribute to Jamaican dancehall, reggae and ska. ZIZEK CLUB is one if Buenos Aires’ – and the world’s – hottest night clubs right now where hip hop, reggaeton, cumbia and mash-up make pulses rise and body fluids boil. This summer, the club strikes camp at Roskilde so the rest of the world can experience the South American club atmosphere.

DEADMAU5 is another hot act in electronic music right now. His name has until now been huge in the electronic underworld. Yet, it may only be a matter of a few festival concerts before his name will break out completely and join the absolute kings of electronic music. At their last concert, RÖYKSOPP experienced an overwhelming turn up. It will definitely not be smaller this year when the Norwegian world stars are out with a new album packed with hits.

Mash-up legend STEINSKI showed the path for a long line of today’s light-fingered DJs such as DJ Shadow and The Avalanches. He now brings his arsenal of stolen beats and samples to Roskilde Festival. Equally thievish and creative are DEN SORTE SKOLE who pay tribute to vinyl with their schizophrenic and entertaining turntablism.

We also have distinguished company in the absolutely laid-back and relaxed end of the electronic genre. The Lounge stage will feature some of the most massive names in chill-out when JOSÉ PADILLA, PETE GOODING and CHRIS COCO stop by.

The British music press is notorious for pushing bands ahead in a pink sky of praise and superlatives only to spit them out afterwards like gum that has lost its flavour. Some of these bands, however, stick. GLASVEGAS was carried forward by an almost unbearable hype but the Scots’ melancholic stadium rock leaves no doubt as to their abilities and future for that reason.

WHITE LIES, BADDIES and FRIENDLY FIRES are likewise young bands that have been intensely adored by the British music press, and since they have spread to the continent and the US. All three bands possess qualities that should ensure them a long life on the rock scene – also when the interest of novelty has died away.

LILY ALLEN is a British phenomenon beyond regular music hype. She is hunted by paparazzis, which is a shame – for her and for us. The attention should be directed at her edgy and ironic pop music. MADNESS can hardly be accused of being a recent invention of the music press. They are, however, more British than Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Yes Minister and their songs have today become national property.

Some thought that Roskilde Festival ’09 would turn into a pure metalfest when many heavy bands were announced earlier this year. After Roskilde '09, SLIPKNOT will no longer just be the surprising act that stepped in after David Bowie's cancellation. They deserve the intended spot in the programme with their tremendous masquerade of a metal show.

It is also a delight to finally welcome DOWN. The band from the US Southern States fronted by legendary Phil Anselmo is a hot request from our solid base of rock fans. AMON AMARTH, CANCER BATS, DARKANE and SATYRICON have also persuaded lots of metal fans into buying their tickets.

Of course, we also have new acts on the programme. Not least fans of new, experimental metal will nod in approval. ISIS and WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM are two bands whose progressive approach to music finds wider, willing ears than just the inner metal circle. On the other hand, the lads in DAWN OF DEMISE take care of a round of true death metal which adds extra degrees of heat to an already red-hot metal programme.

Japanese band MONO started out as a hard-hitting act but has given more up to symphonic guitar sounds. The same goes for THE MARS VOLTA who has left the original starting point in post-hardcore and moved on to a swarming mix of jazz and psychedelic, progressive rock. They may very well have moved away from the heavy starting point – but they are still loved and appreciated by metal heads, as the artistic, dark vision seems more than intact with both bands.

The expression 'diva' is often employed in the world of opera and film, where it describes the women with the demanding song parts, the most glamourous roles and the most beautiful dresses. Several women on today's rock scene also fully deserve this title. GRACE JONES is practically the embodiment of a dangerous pop diva – but we have a whole range of other names who in similar ways match the title's goddess-like origin.

JENNY WILSON plays ultra-female, vulnerable, yet self-assured indie pop that draws as much on R&B as alternative guitar bands. IDA MARIA is a young Norwegian who convinces with her pop-punk, strong on refrains. With her grime-inspired electro pop, LUCY LOVE proves that Denmark can easily provide the future music scene with a new M.I.A. or Santigold.

The diva department does not end here. FEVER RAY is dark lady Karin Dreijer Andersson's new side project where she challenges new electronic spaces, more disturbing than David Lynch's cruellest nightmare scenes. YEAH YEAH YEAHS have a wonderful fashion icon – and a fantastic stage person – in Karen O. Also, West African ROKIA TRAORÉ deserves her spot in the limelight when the stage curtain goes up.

The genres are alive. They are practically essential when music is the topic of conversation. Yet, many musicians rebel against these tight boxes – which this year's programme also has many exciting examples of.

ALAMAAILMAN VASARAT and ANALOGIK mix winds and madness in their own special colour palette. Trumpeter legend JON HASSELL, Americana-inspired HUNTSVILLE, unpredictable MUNGOLIAN JET SET and the punk-jazz samurais in Japanese band SOIL & ”PIMP” SESSIONS all give exciting examples of how jazz can mutate into new directions and mix effectively with other music genres.

SOCALLED and IMAM BAILDI draw on Jewish klezmer and Greek replica, respectively, which they replant in their own electronic worlds, while SHUGO TOKUMARU plays weightless Japanese pop that sounds at once familiar and strange.

GANG GANG DANCE and BLACK DICE mix an African foundation of tribal drums with their peculiar jumble of noise and dance music. PAAVOHARJU shows why Finland's alternative scene can challenge the American army of long-bearded, experimental freak-folkers.

While the genre system is breaking down, there are musicians who practise the old virtues. The US, in particular, have many artists that turn to old songwriters from before the world got an internet connection. MARISSA NADLER plays guitar ballads that sound as if they were plucked from an Edgar Allan Poe story, M. WARD is a musical traveller in old American music genres. In many measures, the same goes for FLEET FOXES and THE DODOS. FIRST AID KIT are not from God's own country but they have already made a name for themselves with their American-inspired girlie folk – and an unforgettable cover of Fleet Foxes’ ”Tiger Mountain Peasant Song”.

Roskilde Festival is the main stage for Scandinavian bands. The place you look towards if you as a Scandinavian artist have ambitions and want to do a show out of the ordinary – and want to share the poster with some of the biggest blockbusters on the international scene.

This year we look forward to presenting exclusive concerts with TRENTEMØLLER, KLOVNER I KAMP, MEW and MALK DE KOIJN.

And it does not stop here. We can also please fans of well-written pop songs with a visit by TIM CHRISTENSEN. All differences aside, MIKAEL SIMPSON, PETER SOMMER and DUNGEN all nurse their respective Scandinavian mother tongues. OH NO ONO is one the most popular acts on the younger scene with their playful and catchy pop music.

MIKE SHERIDAN is ready to prove that Danish electronica is guaranteed a long life, ADAM TENSTA and PEDE B also prove that there is great hope for Scandinavian hip hop of tomorrow. Iceland and the Faroe Islands also show good sounds from their windswept homes with bands such as HJALTALÍN and ORKA.

Talents shoot up on Africa's numerous stages, and Roskilde Festival is not in doubt – ROKIA TRAORÉ will turn into a famous act with her incredible voice. TONY ALLEN, on the other hand, is a living legend who has managed both to lay the foundation for Afro beat together with Fela Kuti and to record albums with Damon Albarn.

We look forward to finally experiencing KASAI ALLSTARS live. Their roots congotronics music has already enthused many who did not know them beforehand when they last were on the poster and unfortunately had to cancel due to visa issues. Welcome back. This time we will succeed. AMADOU & MARIAM are already consolidated stars on the international sky. The blind couple play as support act for the biggest international stadium acts with their Western pop and humourous songs.

HANGGAI is a Chinese band from Beijing but they pay homage to their Mongolian ancestors with a unique and exceptional mix of rocking rhythms and traditional sounds from the enormous, desolate kingdom in the East. NOVALIMA come from Peru but are just as inspired by New York and London as they are by their home city Lima. LA-33 gives an unforgettable lession in funky salsa as it sounds on the streets in Colombia today. SHASTRIYA SYNDICATE is fronted by one of the world's best sitar players and gives you a great chance of experiencing classic Indian raga.

All this – and much more…
With today's announced poster, the majority of the programme is in place. Still, we will announce more good stuff in the coming period so that we – as always – land with a programme of about 175 acts, playing on 7 stages. That is two to three times more acts than most of the European festivals that we are typically compared to.

This is just one of many routes through the programme. A full bouquet of worthy names are neglected in this overview. You can read more about all 151 names on our band list. Where our descriptions do not do the trick, you can move onwards to the acts' own websites and MySpace sites. We link wherever possible. Enjoy!

SEE THE BAND LIST